Ever since I was little I’ve dreamt of visiting Paris, France. The language, the buildings, the lifestyle, it all seemed so captivating. Yet, a trip always eluded me, until about three weeks ago when my husband and I took a trip to London and Paris. Now, don’t get me wrong, we had a great time in London, but I fell in love with Paris. Who wouldn’t love a city that appreciates amazing architecture, outdoor cafes, red wine, great bread and delicious desserts?
In the four and half days we visited, my husband and I walked all over the city, saw all of the big tourist attractions, strolled along the Seine and sipped wine at outdoor cafes (jealous yet?). Paris was better than I ever imagined. At dinner with a friend who lives there, she told us on our final night to see the city from the Seine, all lit up. We took her advice and on our final night I booked two tickets for the Bateaux Mouches boat tour at 7:30pm just as the sun was setting. It was the perfect way to spend our last night in France.
Paris is known as the City of Lights and it truly is just that. Parisians understand the value of beautiful outdoor lighting. All of the main tourist attractions (the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, etc.) as well as each bridge and path are just as beautiful at night as they are during the day with phenomenal architectural and landscape lighting.
I was in awe of the city the whole time I was there, but at night, it was magical. And as an outdoor lighting snob of sorts, I was so impressed during our boat tour that took us up and down the Seine past most of the most famous buildings. The oldest bridge in Paris, Pont-Neuf, is a great example of the subtle, yet effective, outdoor lighting Paris has to offer. The bridge has beautiful stone faces carved along the top and at night, each face is illuminated separately so you can take in all of the details. I must say, I actually took more note of the faces at night than I did during the day!
All along the Seine there are walking paths at night they become gathering spots for friends to meet and hang out. Each path is lit from above with street lights that provide the perfect atmosphere to sit, talk, sip wine and in this case, wave at all the people on the boat tours!
The Bateaux Mouches boat tours begin and end in front of the Eiffel Tower. As someone who’s always dreamt of Paris, I’ve had this fascination with the Eiffel Tower and I wasn’t disappointed. But as lovely as it is during the day, it’s better at night. It’s breathtaking. Three hundred and fifty two orange/yellow floodlights highlight the intricate iron work and on at the top of every hour 20,000 twinkling lights make the whole thing sparkle against the night’s sky.
The reason I appreciate the architectural and landscape lighting in Paris so much is because it only enhances whatever it’s lighting. Paris has some of the most beautiful buildings in the world and they are all lit in a way where the details are all clearly seen at night. That’s the whole goal of proper outdoor lighting, highlight what’s there! That’s what all of our Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchisees try to accomplish in each outdoor lighting system they install. If you have questions about how lighting can enhance your property, please visit us at OutdoorLights.com.